They succumbed 47-45 to Outkast last Friday in the final pool game but, in their previous outing, Huias prevailed 55-35 in the opening round one match.
Consequently it isn't lost on Martin that, from a spectators' perspective, the semifinal should be a humdinger.
For the Huias, it's about threading together four mini-games rather than posting two decent quarters before losing the plot in the third.
Some of that she puts down to a "fairly young" team but also factors in they don't play mini-games owing to a season that has seen only 10 matches.
"But we're looking good so I hope it'll be an exciting semifinal."
A resurgent Outkast have upset the apple cart, qualifying second, four points ahead of Huias, although the matchup wouldn't have been any different.
However, Martin says All In had a fair look in at the No2 and No3 rungs for a good spell as well.
To back up her claim that the competition wasn't that transparent, she argues even last-placed Havelock North Jazz Apples Kauri had shown incremental improvement in the last round.
"Last year we were second [in qualifying] but the year before we were third [to MAC]," she says, adding Otane's dominance was indisputable as top qualifiers.
Apart from goal shoot Ashlee Wilson nursing a knee injury picked up almost a month ago, every other player in the Abby Breakwell-captained side is fine. "Ashlee's supporting our young shooters from the sidelines."
The crucial thing for Martin is Huias' collective effort to put up the shutters in full-court-press fashion from the top end to the back.
"Our whole team defence has been unstoppable, especially in the last two games when we've really progressed because we're not overly tall in our defensive end."
Conversely she wants to see her troops not cough up possession.
Otane coach Annemarie Kupa is counting her blessings for today's game as an opportune time to work out combinations on attack after goal shoot Kelsey McPhee's prepares for the Australian tour with the New Zealand Maori team.
Kupa says she had sorted out her team but, even with McPhee there last round, their shooters were rattled.
"Kelsey had an off game so she might have come in too casual," she says, stressing that McPhee is the sort of player a team wouldn't want to lose at any time, let alone during the playoffs.
She realises final contenders will rub their hands with glee in beating them but she has put faith in shooters Kaya Lord and a pregnant Trey Faulkner as her go-to players.
All In co-coach Charissa Barham is aware of the enormity of the task facing her team, who have grown throughout the season although even McPhee's absence is unlikely to offer enough respite.
They reflected on that at the start of training on Wednesday night for a relatively young team in netball age.
"We have to step up in the semifinal with self-belief and keep believing because it's easy to get knocked back," says Barham, paying tribute to co-coach Kane Makea and Jules Falcon, who has this season provided technical help to them, as well as Otane.
Even the Silver Ferns, she reckons, have to go through a growth phase on each set.
"Sometimes you have to take two steps back to go one forward so we'll learn," says Barham of All In who will play the 3rd-4th playoffs the following Friday barring a gargantuan upset in Bay netball.
Fifth-ranked Central Sports Vet Services HB will face No6 Kauri in the playoffs for seeding in the remaining match.
Playoff draws:
For the Hawke's Bay Netball premier club semifinals and 4th-5th matches at the Pettigrew-Green Arena, Taradale, from 7.15pm today:
PGA 1: No 1 Otane Thirsty Whale v No 4 All In Elusive.
Umpires: P Castles & K Ives.
PGA 2: No 2 Outkast Optimise Physio v No 3 Hastings High School Old Girls' Proactive Huias.
Umpires: H Lewis & N Corbett.
PGA 3: No 5 Central Sports Vet Services HB v No 6 Havelock North Jazz Apples Kauri playoffs for seeding.
Umpires: K Jones & D Thomas.
Reserve officials: T Gardnier, A Waretini, A Williams.
